Financial interchange transfers are made in a lump sum for a whole fiscal year in the June following the close of a fiscal year. For example, the transfer reflecting transactions which occurred from October 2012 through September 2013 took place in June 2014. At any time, therefore, there are between 9 and 21 months' worth of financial interchange transfers which, in a sense, are owed the RRB. The RRB receives interest on this money, so this practice does no long-term harm to the financial condition of the Railroad Retirement Account. The lag in the transfers, however, periodically caused short-term cash-flow problems in past years.

In order to avoid any further cash-flow problems from this lag, the 1983 amendments provided for monthly loans from U.S. Treasury general funds. Each loan is equal to an estimate of the transfer the RRB would have received in the preceding month if the financial interchange with social security were on an up-to-date basis, with interest adjustments. The RRB must repay these loans when it receives the transfer from social security against which the money was advanced.

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